Interview: Why does Qualcomm have to be a ＂split VR machine＂

Last updated Jan, 17th 2019

Introduction: Qualcomm has been one of the promoters of many recent or upcoming VR all-in-ones, and its Opteron chip is the core of many VR all-in-ones. And through Qualcomm's latest reference design, it will be a good preview of the upcoming devices.

On the second day of the US local time on January 9th, CES 2019, Gyrobacteria came to the Qualcomm exhibition hall and saw the VR prototype displayed on site. This prototype is produced by Acer, and the mainframe is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip, which uses 5G and can be inserted into SIM card. The content in the host is produced by NextVR, and the main purpose is to show 5G application scenarios.

Qualcomm has been one of the promoters of many recent or upcoming VR all-in-ones, and its Snapdragon chip is at the heart of many VR all-in-ones. And through Qualcomm's latest reference design, it will be a good preview of the upcoming devices.

Gyrobacteria observed in the field, from the appearance, this prototype uses a headband design, the central has a flexible shaft. Supports Inside-Out tracking, headphones on both sides of the headband, detachable. From the experience, the screen is clear, the single-eye resolution can reach 2160 X 2160, and the visual effect is good. The device uses an LCD screen with a frame count of up to 90 Hz, which is significantly improved in pixels compared to high-end head-ups such as the Vive Pro.

The new screen also greatly reduces the screen window effect and displays the sharpest image. Qualcomm's reference headline looks more compact than a similar head, about 85°.

Qualcomm's reference headshow also gives us an idea of ​​the smartphone network sharing capabilities and the devices that power it on Cosmos. The headphone is connected to the Qualcomm MTP-8150 (early hardware test suite) based on the Opteron 855 chip and supports 5G. The MTP-8150 is like a reference device for smartphones that powers heads, renders content and handles the calculations required for optical 6DoF tracking. Qualcomm has a local 5G network setup that uses streaming video content from NextVR as a 5G displaycontent.

As can be seen from the MTP-8150, HTC may also be able to launch a smartphone equipped with the Opteron 855, supporting 5G and compatible with Vive Cosmos. This VR reference design is no longer a VR all-in-one, but a split-type VR device with dual attributes that supports both a connected phone and a PC.

Split VR head display: lower cost and lighter weight

For why to make this external form reference design, Walker said: "We will do more all-in-one design There will be more external reference designs. There are different markets for the two types of devices. Although this design looks a bit bulky, the electronics inside are actually very simple, so the cost is lower, the weight It is also lighter and can be connected to the user's mobile phone."

This head display can be controlled by the MTP-8150 external device equipped with the Snapdragon 855 chip and 5G function. Walker also said that users do not need such a large device, just connect their mobile phone with the USB-C interface. This design reference uses Inside-Out tracking, supports a variety of control handles, and has 6DoF.

Qualcomm's external reference design is powered by an MTP-8150 external device with a battery life of about 4 hours. Walker pointed out that although the device looks large, the internal electronics are much simpler and simpler. The external device will take part in the computing requirements, so the head display itself will consume less energy and lighter weight. Walker also said: "The advantage of the external connection is that many people may already have a device, and then buy a $150 accessory to match the existing device with USB-C interface will be accepted by more people."[123 ]

Qualcomm said that in addition to the host in the experience zone, which is slightly larger than the smartphone, the headphone can be driven by other mobile phones and point to a 5G mobile phone displayed in the window (left). Also equipped with Qualcomm 855 chips.

For the external VR and VR all-in-one which will be the mainstream of the future, Walker said: "It depends on the market, which is why our company has done two forms of equipment. Strong, operationIt's simpler and more convenient to wear. If you want high added value and achieve more individual purposes, you need to have accessories like a smartphone instead of an expensive device. A smartphone may already cost $150-$200. If you can pair it with a relatively inexpensive split VR headset and have a good VR experience, not just a slideshow, many people might buy. It can be said that each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Of course, all of the above are my personal views.

In addition, Walker also revealed that the current display in the exhibition hall is only a reference design version, not a consumer version. Qualcomm will work with other OEMs and ODMs to produce the final consumer version of the device. At the same time, for the final consumer version, Walker said that he did not have more information, but guessed that the final product may be more than one, the appearance may continue the current design.

VIVE Cosmos VS Qualcomm split VR head display

Gyrojun experienced HTC VIVE Cosmos and Qualcomm split VR head display at CES site, feeling that there are more similarities between the two.询问 Asked Walker about VIVE Cosmos, but the other party said that he only saw it in the article report and did not personally experience it.

But from the experience of gyro in the exhibition hall, the two heads are very similar:

HTC VIVE Cosmos head

[123 ] Qualcomm split VR head display

In addition to the settings and shape of the two, the two heads seem to be aimed at the same target market. On the day of the HTC conference, Gyrojun also interviewed Wang Congqing, president of HTC China. He mentioned that Cosmos is a consumer-oriented product, and the target customer is “the consumer group who did not want to buy or consider buying VR before.” This is undoubtedly consistent with the goal of Qualcomm to launch this VR head display. In the previous article, Walker also mentioned that Qualcomm's head is aimed at the general population of smart devices, not the enterprise side.

It can be said that the reference design of this split VR all-in-one machine introduced by Qualcomm also shows a new development direction for VR hardware equipment. As the most popular and most necessary terminal product, mobile phones are already in consumption.The market has taken a deep root, and by providing a better experience with a mobile phone or a mini host as a driving carrier, VR head display will be more easily accepted by the consumer market.